#8 Julius Erving
Julius Erving began his basketball career in the ABA, playing for the New York Knicks and the Virginia Squires before it was merged with the NBA in 1976. However, he went on to play for the Philadelphia 76ers for 12 years, making the All-Star game all but once.
Julius Erving was a prolific scorer and was the most popular ABA player when it was merged with the NBA in its current form. Throughout his career, he played as a Small Forward and averaged 24.2 points and 8.5 rebounds, winning the NBA championship once, in addition to the two ABA Championships he won earlier.
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#7 Jerry West
Jerry West won the NBA championship as a player only once, thanks to the celebrated Boston Celtics team that included both Bill Russell and John Havlicek, who are also mentioned in this list. Jerry West played for the LA Lakers throughout his 14-year NBA career, and averaged 27 points and 6.7 assists.
Jerry West was nicknamed “Mr. Clutch,” and is the only NBA player to have won the Finals MVP despite finishing on the losing team. The sole NBA championship victory came in 1972 and Jerry West went on to appear in the All-Star team in each of his 14 NBA seasons.
#6 John Havlicek
John Havlicek ended up winning a total of 8 NBA championships, with fellow Celtics legends Bill Russell and Sam Jones being the only players to have won more in league history. John Havlicek also holds the joint-best record in NBA Finals, as he won all eight series that he featured in.
John Havlicek is a 13-time NBA All-Star and was the finals MVP once, in 1974. Although his accomplishments were often overshadowed by teammate Bill Russell, Havlicek was a key part of one of the most celebrated dynasties in NBA history.
#5 Tim Duncan
At number five, Tim Duncan is the highest-ranked non-Celtics or Lakers player on this list. Tim Duncan spent a total of 19 years playing for the San Antonio Spurs, and is widely regarded as their best player ever.
Along with head coach Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan won a total of 5 NBA championships and was the NBA Finals MVP three times. Duncan is considered by many to be the best Power Forward in the history of the NBA, and averaged 19 points and 10.8 rebounds in his NBA career.
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